Australia signs agreements to streamline trade (NNF 2016/090)

The following information has been provided by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and is forwarded for your attention.

“The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (the Department) signed its first Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) with New Zealand Customs Service (NZCS) at the World Customs Organization’s Council sessions in Brussels on Friday, 15 July.

An MRA is a formal arrangement between customs agencies that recognise supply chain security programmes and provides reciprocal benefits to the other country's trusted partners. MRAs also provide border agencies with greater end-to-end assurance over imports and exports.

The Australia-New Zealand MRA will ensure that members of the Australian Trusted Trader (ATT) programme and the NZCS Secure Exports Scheme receive preferential border treatment and trade facilitation benefits when conducting trans-Tasman trade.

The MRA will deliver a mutually beneficial outcome that increases both nations’ contributions to international supply chain security and trade facilitation. It is anticipated that the MRA will allow up to 13 per cent of New Zealand import volume to Australia – totalling $3 billion – to be facilitated, along with $7.5 billion of Australian exports by 2020.

This combined $10.5 billion of trans-Tasman trade facilitated and secured through the MRA demonstrates a significant return on investment that will increase the international competitiveness of industries in both countries.

At the Council sessions, the Department also formally agreed to work towards mutual recognition of our respective supply chain security programmes with the Canada Border Service Agency, Hong Kong Customs and Excise and Singapore Customs. These agreements were made through the signings of Statements of Intent and Action plans. The Department also reaffirmed Authorized  Economic Operator cooperation with China with the signing of the latest schedule of the Strategic Partnership Program.

The Department looks forward to working with our regional partners to commence MRA discussions and validations of each other’s programmes.

The ATT programme was implemented on 1 July 2016 and is progressing well. Over 200 Australian businesses have expressed their interest in the programme since the beginning of July. Teys Australia Beenleigh Pty Ltd is the first accredited Trusted Trader and 31 businesses are currently in the process to become accredited.

To find out more about Australian Trusted Trader, visit the website."